Designed by Nina of Nina Reads
I’ve been at this blogging thing for more than a year now, and I am at a fairly comfortable place. Does that mean I’m ready to sit back and relax? Heck no! I really do want to take my blog to the next level. I’m not concerned with making it bigger, I only want to make it better. Here’s some of what I plan to do, and what I dream about.
⇒ I want to reach out more effectively to the various groups of people who read my blog. I’m not quite sure how to do that yet. I have recently realized that I direct much of what I write to other book bloggers, specifically those who comment on my blog. But in reality they make up only a fraction of those who read my blog, they are just the most vocal. How do I include those who are outside of the book blogging community? How do i even know what they want to see on my blog?
⇒ The book blogging community in the UK doesn’t seem as vibrant to me as the one in North America. I wonder if it is because I don’t know where to look, or is it truly different? Anyways, to try to make a difference over here I am planning on holding a book blogger meetup at my favorite Indie bookstore in Edinburgh. Maybe people will come, maybe they won’t, but I have to try. I’m aiming to arrange something in June, and then perhaps another meetup in August at the Edinburgh Book Festival if people are interested.
⇒ I am engaging more with some larger blogs and plan to write for them. The two that stand out are TripFiction, who I have already done some reviews for and Shiny New Books, a new website based in the UK. I just want to put myself out there more
⇒ Speaking of putting myself out there, I’m toying with the idea of going to the Frankfurt Book Fair in the fall and the London Book Fair in the spring. They don’t appear to have anything specifically for book bloggers like the BEA does, but I would like to see what it is all about.
⇒ And while I’m not too interested in Vlogging or booktube, I love podcasts! This might come from my long standing love affair with public radio like BBC, CBC, and NPR, but it is a dream of mine to be on a podcast.
I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone else is planning on expanding their blogging horizons. New ideas are always welcome.
52 books or bust 
it sounds like we have similar goals! I adore podcasts as well! I find myself listening to podcasts rather than music which is really surprising {for me!}. And that’s such a good point – that you find yourself *talking* to other book bloggers in your posts but that’s not who primarily reads your blog, although there’s a lot of us who do 🙂
Good plans for the future, all of them!
We should be able to arrange to get you on the writereads podcast. I’m sure Kirtles knows how to do it, if you’ve got a microphone for your computer. If you’d be so kind as to be on our podcast, that is. -Tania
Who knows if i have a microphone? Well, my husband and technical adviser probably knows. He’s into stuff like that. Could we do a podcast over Skype? Is that a thing? I’ll ask my techie!
I was thinking skype was how people did this, but I’ll ask my techie and you ask yours 🙂
My techie says it can be done. And he has a microphone.
I’ve heard that it can be done. I’ll begin experimenting. If I run into problems, maybe your techie can give me some advice. – Kirt
Then just let us know which month you want to do and we’ll be happy to oblige. We have a guest for July and for October, I think, but we can double up on guests or you can choose a month of your very own 🙂 -Tania
Of course October is taken!! It’s like the best month ever! Ok, so how about September. Graphic novels are something I want to make more time for so it makes sense to me.
Kirtles and I are experimenting currently, seeing what’s the best way to do this thing! 🙂
I want your book life. A meet up in a bookstore in Edinburgh? The Frankfurt Book Fair? Dying of jealousy right here. I actually think of a bookstore in Edinburgh all the time – The Golden Hare in Grassmarket? I went in there when I was in Edinburgh last year and was completely enchanted by it.
I almost never go to the Golden Hare. It’s not in my ‘hood, but i should make the effort. My local is Looking Glass Books by the Meadows. They have great events too.
I don’t think there is a big book blogging ‘scene’ in the UK – I knoe of small groups of bloggers that meet up every now and again, but nothing on the same scale as the USA.
Good luck meeting your goals 🙂
In North America publishers do a lot to build relationships with bloggers – invite them to special events etc. I guess it’s just different but something i’ve got to get used to.
Those sounds like very attainable goals! I try to do one thing to improve my blog every week, but I’m new to all this.
Those are all such good ideas! I love the idea of a book blogger meetup – that would be so fun! It sounds like you have very concrete and realistic goals! Good luck with them 😀
Those were some good questions, one’s I’ve asked myself, not that I came up with answers. I know other bloggers have gone to the Frankfurt Fair and had a good time. I hope you do too!
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Great ideas! I especially love the idea of a blogger meet up in your area! Very cool.
Dude, a blogger meetup in Edinburgh? Sounds like a good excuse to make a trip to Scotland… I mean, I’m not EXPECTING to fall through standing stones or anything, but maybe I should get lasik before I make the trip, just in case. (I really would love to make a trip to Edinburgh! If only I had all the money. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.)
Ooh. If you came to Ed you could be a guest speaker!
These are some great ideas! I wish I lived in the UK because I would so come to your book blogger meetup! And those book fairs. 😀 As for reaching to people outside of the book blog community, it is difficult. I could use help with that too. I wish you the best of luck with all of these!
Still working out the expanding horizons…I thought it was one thing when I started today (vlogging) but the more posts I read, the more possibilities are coming to mind. One thing at a time of course. Nice on reaching out and connecting with and writing for some of the bigger blogs…I like that idea!
You have a nice list of goals there and they are all very achievable, I know you can do it. Good luck making your blog better (that is a working process for every blogger) 🙂
How do I include those who are outside of the book blogging community? How do i even know what they want to see on my blog?
Interesting thoughts. Unfortunately it seems to me that unless people comment and speak up about what they want to see on your blog, you wouldn’t know–right? I can never tell really what works and what doesn’t with whoever reads my blog–much as there is the audience in mind, I stick to what I’ve been doing–but it’s nice whenever someone steps out of lurking, comments, and mentions how they’ve been following my blog for a while and like what I write 🙂 (So sorry if this paragraph makes no sense, I came back from class a little while ago and it left me rather deflated xP)
As for bloggers from the UK, I’ve chatted with a few over time and there’s a few that I frequent regularly (if I remember correctly) so maybe it just depends which niche they’re in? It’s always fun to discover a new blog and they’re from the same country as you 🙂
I like these goals! Especially the podcast (I want to do one too, I just need to work out where to start – and possibly if I need to do it with someone).
I think English book bloggers are harder to find on the net, for me at least, but I wouldn’t say they are less vibrant, just vibrant in a different way. 🙂
Good point. They are vibrant in a different way. And they are out there, i’m just having problems finding my niche over here.
I know what you mean, I had a similar issue a while ago and to some extent still have it now. I wonder if there are just so many blogs it is hard to find the ones who read as we do.
You know what? I never knew you were from the UK. I follow you on Twitter and just assumed you were from America. Weird.
Ha! 🙂 I do that all the time!
Lots and lots of UK bloggers! Though a lot of them seem to be focused on YA (though American bloggers are, too). One of my favorite UK bloggers is Laura (http://devouringtexts.blogspot.com/). She’s too much fun.
I have a bad habit of writing solely to those who comment as well. Even after 7 years of blogging! When people don’t stop to say hi it’s hard to remember that there are others out there reading. LOL!
Happy Armchair BEA!
Thanks for pointing me in Laura’s direction.
I love your idea of hosting a blogger meet-up! I’d be very excited to put something like that together 🙂
I’m also going to do something informal in Toronto when i’m back there in July.
A book blogger meetup in Edinburgh sounds great! I hope it works well. I’m sure you could find other bloggers to meet up with at the Book Fairs, too.
Podcasts sound fun. I’ve recently developed a habit of listening to The Archers every night. I didn’t know that show existed until Karen of Bookertalk mentioned it in a Sunday Salon post a few weeks ago. She lives in Wales. What fun!
I was listening to The Archers for a while and stopped for some reason. Must start again.